Seitoshi
by pain17ification
Summary: Naruto starts his life as a Shinigami in the most unexpected Division; the 4th Division! What will happen when Naruto serves under the guidance of Soul Society's most caring Captain? Will he be able to stand between Life and Death for those in need, or will he fail due to his inexperience? One thing's for sure; he won't go down without trying! NaruHarem
1. Chapter 1: Newest Recruit

Hello FanFiction! This is pain17ification posting the first chapter of a Naruto and Bleach Xover! This story is called "Seitoshi", or Life and Death.

Please note: pain17ification doesn't own anything except for the story idea

"Speech"

_"Zanpakuto"_

_'Thoughts'_

**"Hollowfied Speech/Techniques"**

[Scene Shift]

Chapter 1: Newest Recruit

"And finally on our list of graduates, we have Uzumaki Naruto," stated Genryusai Yamamoto, the Head Captain of the Seireitei. In his hands were the profiles of the graduates of the academy for potential Shinigami. All of the students who graduated were already placed into divisions that would best suit them; save for one.

The Captain of the 13th Division, Ukitake Jushiro, looked over his copy of the graduate's profile and hummed in thought. "His skills in Zanjutsu and Hoho are phenomenal; well above average. His Hakudo is above average as well, but not as notable as the other two."

"On the other hand," began the 5th Division's Captain, Sosuke Aizen, "his Kido is far below satisfactory. It says here that he was unable to perform a single one and that most just blew up in his face; quite tremendously, I might add."

"True, but that is more than likely due to his spiritual level," defended Kyoraku Shunsui, Captain of Division 8. "It says here that they were already at that of a 4th Seat when he started and that they rose to almost that of a Captain when he graduated. It should be clear as to what the issue was."

Zaraki Kenpachi, Captain of Division 11 stepped up with a grin. "Ah, why the hell are we even bothering with his Kido? His skills with the sword easily make him perfect for my Division."

"Or mine," interjected Sui-Feng, Captain of the 2nd Division. "His lifestyle when he was alive makes him more than worthy for my Division. How often is it that we get a soul from his part of the world as a Shinigami? Not to mention that he still has all of his memories, so that means he still retains all of his experience. Why not let me take him?"

Yamamoto cleared his throat to get their attention. "The answer to your question, Sui-Feng Taicho, is at the bottom of his profile."

All eyes scanned the paper and saw the last notes that the teachers put for Naruto's profile. There at the bottom in bold were the words:

"**Has requested to be placed in Division 4…**"

Most of the Captains turned their gazes to said Division's leader, Unohana Retsu. She was a woman with an incredibly kind face and an almost motherly smile. Her light blue eyes shone with wisdom and care to all. Black hair flowed from her head and was styled in a large braid in front of her.

"Ara, he chose my Division?" she asked in slight surprise.

Yamamoto nodded and elaborated, "Most students were asked which Division they would prefer to be in and the teachers were incredibly surprised at young Uzumaki's choice. When asked, he was quoted saying: All my life, I've lived as a protector, a shield. But during the war, I saw many of my comrades and friends wounded and I was unable to do a thing about it. I want to change that in this life. I want to be able to protect them from death _and_ save them from it."

Unohana gave a soft smile at that. It was obvious that the war that Naruto had gone through had definitely driven something home. It was also clear that he was a natural fighter, but he wished to change that in order to help prevent more death.

"Well, seeing as Uzumaki-kun has already requested my Division, and is driven to learn the ways of healing, I see no reason why I cannot take him."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri of Division 12 stepped up at her declaration. "And how exactly do you plan to teach him if he has no sense of control over his own reiatsu? He'll kill the first person he attempts to heal."

"Ara, are you saying that I am incapable of helping him learn control when I know of many different ways for him to try, Kurotsuchi Taicho?" questioned Unohana with a smile while many of the other Captains felt a sense of dread in the air.

"Are you capable?" retorted Mayuri, seemingly unaffected by the dreadful atmosphere.

"I believe that I am and I will prove it by taking Uzumaki-kun under my wing," declared the woman with a smile as the feeling of dread subsided.

"Very well then," Yamamoto stated before he was interrupted by Sui-Feng.

"Sotaicho-sama, I request to be able to teach Uzumaki some advanced Hakudo and Hoho. It seems to be unwise to let such potential go to waste," declared the petite Captain.

"Ara, are you saying that having him in my Division is a waste, Sui-Feng Taicho?"

"Not at all, Unohana Taicho. However, I believe that we shouldn't forget that he is skilled in those two areas already and could learn more advanced techniques while learning about healing from you."

"Let's not forget about his Zanjutsu," Kenpachi interjected. "The kid is a fighter, and a damned good one by the look of his profile. I'm not gonna let him put that aside and let his skills in it dwindle."

"Enough!" declared Yamamoto with a bang of his staff. "Seeing as Unohana Taicho has already accepted Uzumaki into her Division, it is up to her to let others mentor her recruits."

Both the 2nd and 11th Division Captains turned to the 4th and awaited her decision on the matter. Unohana meanwhile mentally sighed in annoyance at the two. It seemed as if they were unable to let this go and wanted to teach young Uzumaki in some way; even if it wasn't as a full teacher.

"Ara, I suppose you both can teach Uzumaki-kun; however, his studies under me come first. Anything else will wait until I believe he is ready."

Sui-Feng and Kenpachi nodded in agreement while the Head Captain adjourned the meeting.

[Academy Training Grounds]

Seated in a meditative position, a young man with spiked golden blonde hair took deep and even breaths as his sword rested on top of his crossed legs. His face had whisker markings on both cheeks while his hair had a small tail in the back that reached his shoulder blades. He had some peach fuzz on his chin, but it would soon be shaved away due to his disinterest in facial hair. If one were to look at his opened eyes, they would see twin orbs of the deepest blue to ever be witnessed.

This was Uzumaki Naruto; graduate of the academy and ex-Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Kurama. During the 4th Great War, Naruto had lost many friends and loved ones to the madness of Uchiha Obito's ambition for a "perfect" world. He and Uchiha Sasuke, who had switched sides after finding out the truth from the reanimated Hokage of the Leaf, went against the ambitious Uchiha. In the end, Naruto gave his life to take down Obito by using a collaborated attack that consisted of Sasuke's **Amaterasu** and Naruto's **Senpo: RasenShuriken**.

Due to the potency of the mixed techniques, Naruto was unable to simply throw the attack and, after telling Sasuke that he left the rest to him, he rammed the mixed jutsu into Obito and engulfed the two of them in an inferno of shredding wind and black flames.

The next thing Naruto knew was seeing himself standing on the battlefield with no wounds at all on his person. However, there was a chain protruding from his chest and attached to a charred and brittle corpse. From his stomach, where his seal was, he saw an ethereal visage of Kurama step out, but as the size of a large dog. The fox, once fully out, merely gave the Uzumaki a nod of respect and a vulpine grin before it disappeared in a burst of red mist.

As soon as the fox was gone, the now useless seal burned the blonde and he screamed in pure anguish while the chain disconnected from the corpse and the kanji for "Pass" appeared on his forehead. His ghostly body was sucked inward toward the glowing kanji before Uzumaki Naruto's soul was fully out of the Elemental Nations.

The years that followed consisted of him living in the Rukongai along with many other souls. It came as a terrible shock that the Uzumaki was unable to find any of his loved ones, and the memories of the war prevented him from getting much sleep. It wasn't until his third week in the Rukongai that he was found by the Shinigami and taken to the academy.

From then on, he moved on in his new life while promising to never forget those he cherished. Six years were spent in the academy and the Uzumaki spent much time in thought over the actions of his life when he was alive before he realized something; he couldn't save everyone he saw as precious to him.

It was a tough pill to swallow, but he accepted that fact. However, that didn't stop him from finding a way to save as many as he could. So, when the students were given basic rundowns of the many different Divisions, he knew exactly which one he wanted to join; the 4th Division.

It seemed like the perfect choice for him, especially with his drive to find new ways to keep his comrades safe. If he couldn't stop them from getting hurt, then he'd be there to make sure they stayed alive.

Unfortunately, there was the issue with his control.

It seemed like that was always the case for the Uzumaki. His spiritual levels were high, just as his chakra levels were in life. However, that meant that it was _much_ more difficult to control, which was proven every time he tried to perform Kido. No matter which one he tried, it always blew up in his face, and some were bad enough to bring down the average soul for a few days. However, his resilience to pain, and his healing factor which had somehow stayed with him in death, made the injuries feel like annoying aches at worse.

Naruto tried to gain some semblance of control during his free time and used the exercises from his life to help him. Tree walking and water walking were implemented with his reiatsu, but they didn't seem to make any kind of difference and he didn't know of any other exercises.

The worse part of it in his opinion was that he couldn't use any of his techniques from when he was alive. Clones and the Rasengan were lost to him due to his inability to properly use his own spiritual energy and it hurt his pride. His two signature moves were now out of his reach.

He sighed as he mentally shook himself out of those depressing thoughts. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on them anyway. Instead, he used this time to try and speak to his Zanpakuto in hopes of learning its name.

The sword was unique in its design, especially since it wasn't even a realized Zanpakuto. The handle was a dark green with light blue wrappings surrounding it. The guard looked to be nine curved edges that curved away from the blade. The blade itself was an unusual dark blue with a light green edge while the sheath was a simple black color.

Many of the instructors were intrigued by this, but they were unable to come up with any kind of explanation. By pure visual speculation alone, it looked like the sword could be in its Shikai state. However, that was shot down when the Uzumaki stated that he couldn't hear the sword's name. In the end, they decided to just leave it be and let things work themselves out.

Naruto took in a deep breath of air and slowly exhaled to calm down while his mind called out to his Zanpakuto. _'If you're in there, I would really appreciate you trying to tell me your name. Please, I need to know if I can rely on you to help me protect those who are important to me.'_

Silence was his answer and he was about to leave his meditative state at another failed attempt. However, a voice was soon heard; a mere whisper that caressed his ear like chimes being hit against the wind.

_"I'm here, Naruto-kun,"_ stated the voice and Naruto could easily imagine it smiling at him. _"I've been waiting to speak to you for a long time, but I would like to talk to you face to face."_

The next thing he knew was that he was opening his eyes to the sight of a forest clearing with a beautiful lake of pure silver in the center. A mountain was seen in the distance, but it was shaped strangely in his opinion; like it was in the shape of a person. However, he put that thought in the back of his mind as a figure was seen seated in a tree growing out of the center of the lake. The tree was strangely green in color while its leaves were a light blue with silver looking veins running through them.

As for the figure, it was a woman with shoulder length silver hair and bright green eyes that had dark blue sclera. She was dressed in a sleeveless top made entirely of blue leaves like the one in the tree while her toned stomach was left uncovered and he saw an exact replica of his old seal resting there. She wore black shorts that stopped just above her knees while a white furred skirt rested over it. Her forearms and shins were also covered in white furred clothing while her feet were left bare, allowing her to feel the world beneath her. To finish of her visage, she had a ring with an Uzumaki swirl on it, but it was colored silver with a blue outline.

She smiled to him and stated, _"I've been waiting for you to show up, Naruto-kun."_

The blonde was left unable to speak due to her natural beauty and almost angelic smile. He was able to pull himself together while she stepped across the lake and approached him. "So, you finally decided to tell me your name?"

_"Not yet,"_ she replied regretfully. _"We're still waiting for him,"_ she pointed to the distant mountain, _"to wake up. We are both representatives of your soul, so we both need to be awake for you to hear our name."_

"Wait, are you saying I have two swords, or that you both represent _one_ sword?"

_"The latter, Naruto-kun. Both of our spirits rest inside the sword you carry and you cannot call upon its power until we are both awake. I don't know when he'll wake up, but I'm still pleased that I was able to speak to you first,"_ she informed him with a smile.

He returned the smile and replied, "I'm glad I could speak to you as well. I was beginning to think that you didn't want to talk to me."

She shook her head at that. _"We would never choose to ignore you, Naruto-kun. We just couldn't wake up to respond to your calls."_

The Uzumaki nodded and queried, "So, until he wakes up I can't call upon your power?" A nod was his answer. "Alright then, I'll wait. I've waited for a while already, so I can wait a little longer."

_"Glad to hear it, Naruto-kun. Now, you better wake up since there is someone heading your way. We'll talk again later."_

He smiled and replied, "Definitely," before he brought his focus back to outside of his mind. In front of him was a very tall woman – easily over six feet – with spiked silver hair that had a single braid and brown eyes. She wore the standard Shinigami uniform while the badge that signified her status as a Lieutenant was wrapped around her left arm.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked which he nodded to. She smiled and gave a polite nod. "My name is Kotetsu Isane and I've been asked to take you to your new Division."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise before he grinned and jumped to his feet. Isane couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm as he replied, "Lead the way, Kotetsu Fukutaicho."

She kept her smile as she motioned for him to follow her. The blonde was led through the streets of the Seireitei before the two came upon the barracks of the very Division he had requested; the 4th.

She turned to face him and gestured behind her with her arm, "Welcome to the 4th Division, Uzumaki-san."

His blue eyes looked around and saw many people going about their business, but a few gave him polite nods and a few waves while a couple of the female members had small blushes on their faces at his looks; not that he noticed.

He turned back to Isane and nodded with a smile. "Glad to be here, Kotetsu-sempai."

She returned the smile before she led him through the hallways of the barracks and stopped outside a door with the name "Unohana Retsu" on it. She knocked once and was granted entry before she led the blonde inside. There behind a simple desk was Unohana going over some medical files and other various papers.

She looked up and noticed her Lieutenant with her newest recruit and placed the paper she was looking at back down on her desk. "Welcome, Uzumaki-kun," she greeted as she stood up and walked around her desk before she stood in front of him. "I'm looking forward to seeing just how well you will perform under me."

He bowed to her with a smile and replied, "I'm honored that you accepted my request, Taicho. I just hope that I don't end up letting you down due to my shitty control."

That earned him a flick to his forehead which made him rub it to soothe the growing ache. "Uzumaki-kun, I will not tolerate such crude language around me; am I clear?" she asked with a smile while Naruto felt like he was in Death's grip.

He shakily nodded and answered, "H-Hai, Unohana Taicho."

"Glad to hear it," she stated as the feeling of death receded. "Now, follow me please," she said as she led him through the barracks. "We have a lot of work to do if we're going to bring your control to the level needed of a healer."

The Uzumaki couldn't help but grin foxily as he followed her. _'Finally! Maybe I can actually learn to control my reiatsu and learn how to heal from Unohana Taicho. I just hope I don't have to experience that 'Smile of Death' again. I'd rather deal with baa-chan's super strength than THAT!'_

The Uzumaki was in for the long haul, but he was 100% positive that it'd be worth it in the end.

(End Chapter)

Chapter one is now finished! I hope this idea is seen positively since I have never seen a story where Naruto joins Unohana's Division. It's always either Sui-Feng's Division, or just a third party in the stories. So, I decided to mix it up a bit.

Now, to those of you wondering about the pairing, it will be Naruto with Yoruichi, Harribel, and Neliel. Do not ask for anyone else since this decision is final!

If the title of this story confuses you, then let me explain. To me, healers, doctors, medics, and anyone else who fits that category seem to be the last line that stands between Life and Death. This is where the title comes from since Naruto has chosen to take that position and stand between Seitoshi (Life and Death). I hope that clears things up!

Please remember to leave reviews! Positive feedback fuels my desire to continue and I want to see what you guys think of this story! No flames please!

Next Time: Learning Control! Stay Tuned!

pain17ification


	2. Chapter 2: Control, Meetings, & Closure

Hello FanFiction! This is pain17ification continuing Seitoshi.

By the way, I know I gave a harem list at the end of chapter 1. However, I am adding one more girl for a total of four. No more will be added and the final girl added will be Kukaku. My reason is very simple; there are like NO stories with Naruto/Kukaku that I have seen or read. Why, I ask you all; why?! She's awesome! *anime tears*

Please note: pain17ification doesn't own anything except for the story idea

"Speech"

_"Zanpakuto"_

_'Thoughts'_

**"Hollowfied/Techniques"**

[Scene Shift]

Chapter 2: Control, Meetings, and Closure

Naruto sat in a small Zen Garden in front of his new Captain who had her never-ending smile on her beautiful face. In between them both was a small table with some tea, which they were both enjoying.

"So, how will we start in teaching me to control my reiatsu, Unohana-Taicho?"

She took a small sip of her beverage before she answered, "First, I'll see how you've tried to control your reiatsu. After that, I will introduce new methods that you haven't seen. If those fail, then I will use other means to teach you."

"Other means?"

Nodding, she elaborated, "Protocol dictates that Shinigami of Lieutenant or Captain rank wear seals to limit their reiatsu output; usually leaving them with around 30% of their power. Only when given permission, or in dire circumstances, are they allowed to remove them. If my methods in teaching you control are unsuccessful, then I will place this seal on you and have you slowly build up your control piece by piece."

The blonde rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression. It was a very sound method and it seemed to be the perfect last resort. Waving his arm to her, he stated, "Alright, you're the expert Taicho."

"I'm pleased you think so highly of me. Why is that? And more curiously, why did you choose my Division?"

The Uzumaki sighed at the questions and looked to her with regretful eyes. "If it's alright with you, Taicho, I'd like to keep the answers to myself. They make me think of the war…"

"Of course, Uzumaki-kun. Take your time," she acquiesced. She knew better than anyone how hard it was to talk about your past; especially if it wasn't all that great. "Now, show me the control methods you used."

Nodding, the new recruit spent the next half hour describing the tree climbing and water walking methods he used due to their effectiveness when he was alive. Unohana watched his demonstrations with a critical eye, absently noting how they seemed to be basic control methods for the Stealth Force, and sensed that his reiatsu still fluctuated wildly. With a sigh, she called over her pupil and had him retake his seat.

"Your methods are effective, but only for those who are seeking to control smaller reserves. Your reserves are large, Uzumaki-kun; easily higher than a Lieutenant when they fluctuate at their peaks while as low as a Fourth Seat at their lowest. Let me show you a new way of control." At his nod, she held out her right hand, palm up, and formed a sphere of reiatsu no bigger than an orange. "I want you to try this. The size of the sphere you make will determine how much we need to work on. Remember that you are trying to call for the _bare minimum_ of your reiatsu."

He nodded once again and stood up with his right hand out. Taking a calming breath, he called out as little reiatsu as he could which resulted in a sphere the size of two soccer balls in his hand. What made it worse was how it would shrink and then grow larger continuously; as if it was an operating lung.

The 4th Division Captain sighed at the sight. "I was afraid of this… Uzumaki-kun, tell me; how bad was your control in life?"

"Not as bad as it is now, but still pretty bad, Taicho," answered the blonde sheepishly.

"I see… For now, let's continue with this method. Now, keep the sphere in your hand while using your left to try and compress it. You want to aim for around half the size you have now as a start."

"Right," Naruto said as he brought his left hand over the sphere and tried to bring the size of the sphere down. Unohana kept her eyes on his hands and they narrowed slightly as she felt reiatsu leak from them unconsciously, resulting in the sphere not changing in the slightest save for more frequent "breaths".

She shook her head sadly at this and had the Uzumaki cut off the flow before she went inside the barracks, leaving him alone in the garden with a forlorn expression. Why was it so hard to control his power? He never had this much difficulty, even when his chakra was fucked up by the **Gogyō**** Fuiin **(Five Elements Seal).

He sighed in frustration and absently clenched his right hand before he just dropped to a sitting position. Moving to his normal position for meditation, he tried to calm down and relax. He sat there, perfectly still like he had done many times for calling on natural energy, and breathed evenly. A deep inhale through the nose, and then an equally deep exhale through the mouth and then repeat the process. He kept this up for an unknown amount of time and didn't notice Unohana return with a tome in her hands.

A slender brow was raised at his meditative position and the other followed suit as she felt his power slowly fall under control. She quietly set the book down and sat across from him, observing him critically for any influxes of power. But none came. In fact, it was still falling deeper into his control. She smiled at this and moved to sit next to him, still watching him breathe evenly and relax. Her smile grew more fondly as she noticed a bird land on his head while a squirrel moved to sit in his lap.

_'It almost seems like they can feel how peaceful his presence is. Uzumaki-kun, I think we may have found a solution,'_ she mused as she joined him in meditation with a caring smile on her face. It wasn't until around sunset that they refocused on the outside world and Unohana called it a day for them.

As he started heading towards his room in the barracks, Naruto looked to the sunset and marveled at the colorful sky and horizon. He smiled at the intersecting colors of red, yellow, and orange and was reminded of his parents. A few tears left his eyes as their faces entered his thoughts and he clenched his eyes shut to keep from remembering anyone else.

"Meow…"

His eyes snapped open and looked down at the source of the noise he just heard. A cat was seen seated by his left leg. Its fur was black as night while its piercing yellow eyes looked to him in concern; something that surprised him greatly. He smiled and bent down to pet the feline behind its ears, resulting in it purring and leaning into his ministrations.

"Hey they, little Neko," he greeted with a chuckle as the cat seemed to be in heaven at his touch. "Where did you come from?"

"Meow…"

Chuckling again, he replied, "Yea, that's what I figured. Well, it's starting to get dark and the nights are actually pretty chilly." He opened the door to his room and stepped aside so the cat could see inside. "If you want, you can stay with me for the night. There's no sense in letting you stay out in the cold."

The cat rubbed against his leg before it bounded inside and jumped on his only chair. Naruto entered as well and closed the door before he moved to his miniature fridge that came standard in every room. Inside were essential foods such as milk, eggs, bread, some fruits, vegetables, and meat. He looked for a sake dish and poured some milk in it before he set it down for the cat to drink.

As the feline lapped up the drink, he placed his sword on the rack on the wall before he stripped down to a white undershirt and gray boxers, unaware of the cat watching him with a spark of interest. He then approached a small mirror he had hung on his wall and rubbed his hand against his peach fuzz. With a sigh, he went to his restroom and shaved it off, coming out around five minutes later with a clean shave.

Turning to the cat, he grinned foxily and asked, "What do you think?"

"Meow," was his reply before he went to his sleeping mat and slowly dozed off. The cat, when it saw that he was fully asleep, approached him and placed a paw on his forehead. With a smile that wasn't naturally seen on a feline, it spoke in a feminine tone, "Sleep well…"

It then moved to his chest and curled up for the night, silently noting that it would finish its task in the morning.

[Next Day (Zen Garden)]

"I believe you had a breakthrough yesterday, Uzumaki-kun," Unohana declared with her usual smile while Naruto looked surprised.

"How do you figure, Taicho?"

"Your meditation… While you sat and calmed yourself, you were unconsciously reigning in your reiatsu and it went from no control to around a Seventh Seat's level of control. So, I want to test something." He nodded for her to continue, "I want you to meditate for around ten minutes before you try making a sphere again."

He nodded and assumed his meditative position, relaxing his body and mind while Unohana kept tabs on the duration. Once ten minutes had passed, she roused him from his meditation and motioned for him to begin. He took a small breath before he called on his reiatsu again.

This time, the results were much better. Instead of an overly large and "breathing" sphere, Naruto now had a sphere half the size of a single soccer ball in his hand that stayed still.

Unohana smiled at this and stated, "I do believe we've found our problem solver. Your problem was your emotional state in controlling you reiatsu. Tell me; how did you feel the first time you performed this exercise in front of me?"

"I was nervous and anxious. I didn't want to mess up in front of you and have you give up on me."

Her smile remained as she reassured him. "Uzumaki-kun, believe me when I say that I _never_ give up on people. So don't worry about me forsaking you." He nodded gratefully and she continued, "Your reiatsu is deeply tied to your emotional state; much more so than most Shinigami. Your negative emotions are responsible for your control. In other words-"

"-my memories of the war and the loss of the ones I loved are making my control almost nonexistent."

"Precisely…"

"So what, do I just try to forget about them?"

"No. you must never forget about them and their meaning to you. Instead, you must accept that what happened cannot be changed and that you did all that you could. Only then will we truly get somewhere in regards to your control."

She then left him to his thoughts while he sat down in the middle of the garden. A sigh escaped him as he thought over her words and what he would have to do. Sure, it sounded easy but it was probably the hardest thing he was ever asked to do. His heart still couldn't accept that they were gone, but it did accept that he did all he could.

"Maybe that's the answer," he muttered to himself. "Maybe…the thought of them never truly being gone is the key. They're still with me," he placed a hand over his heart, "in here. And so long as I remember that, then they're never gone completely."

With his mind set and his eyes brimming in determination, he pointed an open palm skyward and called upon his reiatsu. His blue eyes seemed to glow with an azure flame as he thought back on the words he needed to say.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! **Hado #31:** **Shakkahō** (Red Fire Cannon)!"

From his hand, a basketball sized sphere or burning red reiatsu was fired straight up into the air were it exploded in a burst of power and left Naruto's grinning face covered in a red hue.

Once the hue died down, he jumped up and whooped with joy at his success. "I did it! I actually got a Kido Spell to work! Wahoo!"

Unohana looked upon him from her office window with a fond smile on her face. "Well done, Uzumaki-kun… I knew you had it in you."

Unknown to them both, a pair of gleaming yellow eyes also watched the blonde's success and a smile was seen on a feline face. "Not bad… You'll go far, Naruto."

With that statement said, the cat disappeared in a blur of speed, only to return every now and then to the kind blonde man.

[25 Years Later]

Uzumaki Naruto, now a Fifth Seat of the 4th Division, was busy organizing the archives of the medic bay. All of the files regarding patients from the past were in here and he was organizing them by year and by severity.

He smiled as he reminisced about the years that had passed and how much he had changed. His control kept getting better each year and was now currently as good as that of a Third Seat; much better than his original level. He was able to perform Kido spells, but he still needed the incantations, and was even in the midst of learning healing arts.

He also regained the skill to use the **Rasengan** with pure Kido. It took some time – five years to be exact – but he was finally able to use his father's old technique. He was still trying to find a way to use his old clone technique, but it was slow progress.

The last thing that changed was his physical features. His hair had grown longer and he took to draping it freely over his right shoulder while his face had a simple goatee on his chin that looked like Sarutobi Hiruzen's when he was in his prime. His physique had also grown from his rather short height of 5'4" and he now stood at a tall height of 6'2"; the same height as his old master, Jiraiya. The last thing that changed was his uniform. Over the top of his Shinigami robes, he wore a gray flak jacket that the Jonin of his old village wore with the Uzumaki Swirl on the back in its usual red color. Unohana was kind enough to order this for him as a reward for his success over the years and he loved it. (1)

His life – or rather _after_life – was going very well for him and he was happier than he had ever been in a long time. He took to humming a tuneless song as he sorted the files but was unaware of a file falling off a stack high up until it landed on his head.

He sighed with a smile as he opened the file, but the smile faded into a look of confusion as he looked the file over. As he read further, his eyes narrowed and he quickly closed the file before he left the archive room in search of his Captain. He needed answers since this was too strange to ignore.

[Unohana's Office]

"How did you come across this file in particular, Uzumaki-kun?" asked Unohana after reading the file her Fifth Seat gave to her.

"It just fell on me while I was organizing and I skimmed through it. It was the first one I read that had a problem like _that_ detailed in it." His Captain nodded in acceptance at his explanation, and he continued, "What exactly happened to that man? How did a Hollow possess him?"

Retsu sighed sadly as she handed the file back to him. "Even we do not the full extent of Hollow abilities; especially ones with unique abilities like this one. Truly, Shiba-san and his wife were very unfortunate to have faced this Hollow and Kuchiki-san was lucky to have survived since she was barely starting out at the time."

"The file said that she brought him down and that Shiba-san had regained control of himself long enough to tell her to kill him. I also learned that the last members of the Shiba Clan left the Seireitei after something 'awful' had happened. I assume that _this_ was that 'awful' thing?"

She nodded. "You're correct, but that's not all. Apparently, Kuchiki-san returned the body to the Shiba Clan, but she was covered in his blood and didn't say anything about what happened. They assume the worst and that Kuchiki-san killed him in cold blood."

"And because of that, they left due to their disgust in the Shinigami," sighed out Naruto.

He had seen what hatred – especially blind hatred – did to people and he tried to fix that in life. Obviously he failed, but that didn't mean he couldn't do so in death. An idea then came to him and he stood at attention, surprising Unohana slightly.

"Unohana-Taicho, I request permission to go to the Rukongai in search of the remaining Shiba members."

"For what cause, Uzumaki-kun?" questioned his Captain.

"I wish to inform them of what happened to their brother and his wife. I know what it's like to have a loved one gone from your life with no explanation whatsoever. I want to help them find some closure in what happened and stop them from giving into their hatred and anger. I've seen what it does to people…and it's never pretty."

"Why go so far for people you don't even know?"

He was silent for a long time as he thought of a good answer. Unohana was patient and hid a smile at his care for others and their well being. When he finally looked to her, he answered, "I want to help them because, in a way, I feel like I'm stopping more people from becoming what Sasuke became…or what I could've become."

Her smile turned sad at his honest answer. His heart was in the right place, but it still reminded him of his past too much for his liking. "Very well, I'll allow this. You have a week before you must return to the Seireitei with a report. And be sure to _leave_ the file so that I can _keep an eye_ on it," she finished with a barely noticeable wink.

He grinned at that and nodded. "Sure thing, Taicho. We wouldn't want this to get _lost_ or something."

She chuckled quietly as he left. She knew he planned to take it anyway and that the archives were listed as classified. However, she knew he'd need it to help explain the issue to the Shiba Clan members, so she'd let it slide this time.

[West Gate]

"Thanks for opening the gate, Jidanbo-san!" said the blonde with a smile as he made his way to the Rukongai.

The giant Gatekeeper of the West Gate merely smiled and nodded at the Uzumaki. The blonde was a very kind individual and took time to visit him every now and then. He even brought him lunch on a couple of occasions at the bequest of Unohana. He was proud to say Uzumaki Naruto was his friend.

With the Fifth Seat, he was in search of anyone who knew the whereabouts of the remaining Shiba members. He asked many people in the small town he arrived in, but most people said they didn't know and went about their business – some more rudely than others.

He sighed in annoyance at his inability to get a clue on where they were. All he knew, based on the report, was that the last members were named Kukaku and Ganju; a woman and her younger brother. No pictures or descriptions were given, which made it all the more difficult.

"Meow…"

His demeanor perked up at that sound and he looked down to see a black cat rubbing against his leg. "Kuro-chan!" he exclaimed happily, easily recognizing the cat that would occasionally visit him. He bent low and began petting her and she purred at the feeling. "I don't suppose _you_ know where Kukaku or Ganju live, huh?"

The cat seemed to perk up at the question and bounded off down the road. When she noticed Naruto wasn't following her, she mewed again and he was quick to catch up.

"Well, it's not like I found any leads here," he muttered. "I'll be surprised if she actually _does_ find their house."

After about an hour of following the cat, they stopped and he couldn't help but sweatdrop at the sight before him. Two pillars in the design of human arms stood tall before him with a banner held between their clenched fists. The banner read, "Home of Shiba Kukaku" on it.

"What do you know? We actually found it," he dazedly stated in disbelief. He then smiled and turned to thank the cat only to find that she was nowhere to be seen. "Man, I _got_ to know how she does that…"

He then walked down the road leading directly to the house, but was stopped by a pair of twin men wearing red hats with white tuffs on their heads while one wore a white shirt and gray pants while the other wore a yellow shirt and red pants.

"Halt!" yelled the yellow shirted one.

"State your name and reason for being here!" continued the other.

"Or else you'll face the power of Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko!" they finished in unison.

Naruto sweatdropped at their declaration before he sighed and answered, "I'm here to see the remnants of the Shiba Clan. There's something that they need to know that I have in my possession."

"You can give it to us," Koganehiko started.

"And then be on your way," finished the other twin.

The blonde's eye twitched and he sighed again. This time, when he looked to them, he had on a kind smile with his eyes closed. The twins suddenly felt a sense of dread and paled as they began to see a spectral red fox with nine tails form behind Naruto. (2)

"If you would both just please let me in? I'm on a schedule and I can't just _give_ this information away," requested the blonde kindly while the fox grinned darkly at them.

Needless to say, the twins were scared out their wits so much that they just let Naruto through without protest.

Heading down the stairs to the underground halls of the home, Naruto was impressed with the innovation used by the Shiba. The vines that hung on the ceilings of the hall glowed and provided decent lighting for him to see where he was going. Behind him, the twins gave him directions toward "Kukaku-sama's" room. When they finally reached the door, they turned and left, making the blonde raise a brow before shrugging it off.

He knocked on the door and waited patiently for a reply. "Yea, who is it?" asked a woman's voice, making him suspect that it was Kukaku.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto from Squad 4. I have something that you and your brother need to see, Shiba-san."

"Is that right?" she asked through the door. "Well then, come in already!"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her tone as he opened the door and stepped inside. The room was empty on his end, but was lavishly set up as a lounge area on the other. Seated on a comfortable bean-bag like seat was a woman with black hair that had bandages wrapped around it in certain spots, green eyes, and a noticeable replacement right arm. She wore a red top that barely seemed to cover her well developed figure and tied around the neck and her mid back. Black shorts were seen worn underneath the white skirt that reached just below her knees. Bandages were seen wrapped around her right shoulder and ankles and a tribal tattoo was seen on her left arm.

"Shiba Kukaku?" he asked while his eyes took in every detail as unnoticeably as possible.

"Yea, that's me," she answered as she grabbed a long pipe and prepared it to be used. "So, what's a Shinigami doing here in my home? I hardly believe that what you have to say to me is all that important."

"Not even if it's about Shiba Kaien?" queried the blonde with a raised brow.

She immediately stopped what she was doing and glared hard at him. "You better phrase your next sentence _very_ carefully, Uzumaki," she stated in a low and threatening tone.

He nodded and pulled out the file he took from his robe. "This file has detailed information on what happened on _that_ night. It was written by Ukitake Jushiro-Taicho from his perspective along with his thoughts during the events and what he felt."

He tossed it to her and she expertly caught it, but didn't open it. "Why give this to me? How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"What could I possibly gain from deceiving you?" questioned the Uzumaki. "I'm just here to tell you what happened so that you could know the truth; something everyone deserves to know."

"And why is that?"

"Because when we're blind to the truth, our hearts and souls are blind to the line between right and wrong. We could easily go astray and not even know until it's too late."

She scoffed and crossed her arms under her bosom, making Naruto blush but it went unnoticed. "You speak as if you've experienced this…"

"I have… The truth about a lot of things concerning me was never found out until the most dire of situations; mostly ones where I was close to death. The truth of my parents was just _one_ of those truths I never knew until I was about to die."

She raised a brow at his words before her eyes flicked to the file in her hands. "Tell me; why do this when I don't know you and you don't know me? What is your real objective?"

He sighed and looked her dead in the eye, surprising her with the depth his blue orbs showed. "I just want to stop the cycle…"

"Cycle?" she asked in confusion.

"Yes… The cycle of pain, the cycle of hatred, the cycle of darkness; whatever you want to call it, I just want to stop it. I've seen people give into those things too many times when I was alive, and was unable to do a thing about it. But in death, I see it as another chance to stop the cycle; to end hatred and show the world that peace is real."

"You sound like a fool," she chided, but her eyes betrayed her. "Anyone else could see that your 'goal' is just a fool's errand."

"Maybe," he agreed with a chuckle. "But, if there is such a thing as peace – even if it is so small that it could be seen as worthless – I'll find it and I'll help it grow into something worth fighting for; something worth living for."

Kukaku couldn't deny that his conviction was astonishing. This man spoke with such determination that a part of her couldn't help but believe in him. She said nothing though, and just opened the file that was given to her. "This has the truth, right? It's not some lie made by the Seireitei?"

"Like I said; what could we possibly gain from deceiving you?" asked the blonde with a kind smile as he turned and began to leave. "I'll wait outside for you to return that file. After all, I could be killed for giving someone such _classified_ information."

Her eyes widened and she looked to him in disbelief as he just walked out of the room with a smile. Shaking her head at his boldness, she skimmed through the file and paid attention to _every_ detail, _every _word, and _every_ thought that was written down.

By the time she was done, her eyes had grown misty and she was quick to wipe away any forming tears. "Nii-sama…" she whispered sadly. "Is all of this true?"

As she asked this, she turned to a photo of her brother and his wife along with her younger brother and herself all smiling with faces full of love. She smiled softly at the photo before her face turned serious and she stood up. Striding out of the room, she made her way outside and saw Naruto seated in the grass in front of her home in a lotus position.

"I take it that you're finished reading?" he asked with his back to her.

She nodded, though he couldn't see it, and answered, "Every word… It's all true, isn't it?" She didn't even wait for an answer as she continued, "I always believed that something bigger was going on, but I was so mad that I just ignored it. I was so…angry about the loss of my brother and my sister-in-law that I blinded myself from the truth." She looked up and saw that he had stood and was now facing her with a look of understanding. "You were right about being blind when we're ignorant of the truth." She then tossed him the file back, and he easily caught it. "And I have no doubt that the words on that file are real."

He nodded and replaced the file back into his robe. "They are… I'm glad I was able to help you find the truth. I just hope that now you've gotten some closure about this whole thing." He then smiled and bowed slightly to her before he turned and began walking away.

This surprised the woman and she called out, "Where are you going?"

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. "I did what I came here for; I gave you the truth. Now, I should return back to my Captain and let her know of my success."

For some reason, this upset Kukaku and she didn't know why. She couldn't help but want to have him stay after all he did to give her hope again and make her see the light. "How long do you have before you need to return?" she asked, which earned her a raised brow from a now confused Naruto.

"About six days after today; why?" he questioned.

She couldn't keep the grin from forming on her face as she proclaimed, "Then, as a thank you for what you've done, you're gonna stay here and be my guest for the remainder of your time."

All Naruto could do was look to her in surprise at her bold declaration and ask, "Say what?"

(End Chapter)

1~ If someone draws this Naruto for me, I'll give them a cyber cookie (aka, a spoiler)

2~ That's right; I went there and gave him Unohana's "Death Smile"! Whatcha gonna do about it, huh?!

And there's chapter two for you all! I hope this chapter was enjoyable for you guys and gals out there!

By the way, Kuro means "Black". It's what Naruto named the cat that visits him (nudge nudge wink wink).

Now, as a reminder, the harem is thusly: Yoruichi, Harribel, Neliel, and Kukaku (and not necessarily in that order).

Next Time: Visits to the Human World! Stay Tuned!

pain17ification


	3. Chapter 3: As the Years Pass

Hello FanFiction! This is pain17ification continuing Seitoshi.

By the way, I have a poll up which will be quickly followed by another! Please vote and keep checking in!

Warning: This chapter is filled with timeskips; both minor and major. However, it will still have plenty of cool stuff for you all to read!

Please note: pain17ification doesn't own anything except for the story idea

"Speech"

_"Zanpakuto"_

_'Thoughts'_

**"Hollowfied/Techniques"**

[Scene Shift]

Chapter 3: As the Years Pass

Naruto held his head with a groan as he entered Unohana's office. Immediately sensing something was off, she went over to his side and checked him over. A sweatdrop was seen as she asked, "Uzumaki-kun, are you…hung over?"

"Unfortunately," was his reply as he rubbed his temples. "Remind me to never accept a drinking challenge from Kukaku-chan…"

Unohana chuckled and quickly helped his pounding head before she returned to her seat. "So…Kukaku-_chan_ is it?"

He blushed slightly and rubbed his head awkwardly. "Well, it seems that Kukaku took a bit of a shine to me, Taicho. After delivering the news to her, she asked me to stay for the rest of the time you permitted me. Most of the time, it was me observing her create fireworks and visiting the Rukongai districts. I also met her younger brother, though he adamantly states that he's, and I quote, 'The Number 1 Hater of Shinigami'." Unohana chuckled again while Naruto continued, "On the last night of my stay, she challenged me to a drinking contest with her sake supply. The rest of the night was a blur and I woke up leaning against a wall," he blushed again, "with Kukaku leaning her head on my shoulder and hugging me."

His blush grew as Unohana's chuckles became a fit of giggles. A dark cloud formed on his head when Isane, who was in the room as well, began giggling alongside her Captain.

"Quite a tale, Uzumaki-kun," Retsu managed to get out between giggles. "The mission is a success and you're dismissed."

Naruto broke records under "Fastest Embarrassed Exit" that day.

[A Month Later]

Sitting on top of Sokyoku Hill, Naruto meditated with his Zanpakuto rested across his lap. Over the years, it had changed from its rather unique form into that of a regular ninjato with a circular guard and dark green handle. It proved to be a rather suitable weapon for him during his spars with Sui-Feng and Kenpachi. It was small for quicker movements, yet sturdy enough to take heavy blows.

Now, the Uzumaki was entering his soulscape in order to speak to his Zanpakuto once again. He had done so twice a month in hopes of seeing if he would gain access to its power. But, each time proved unsuccessful since the other half of his sword was still unresponsive to the female spirit's calls.

This time, when his eyes opened he was no longer in front of the silver lake. Now, he was at the top of the mountain that was a distance away from the lake, standing in front of a simple home made of wood.

"Uh…hello?" he called out unsurely.

_"Ah yes, give me a moment!"_ replied a man in a jovial tone. When the door to the home opened and the spirit stepped out, Naruto's jaw dropped in both shock and awe.

Standing before him was a rather tall man with tanned skin, dark eyes and waist-length black hair styled in a centre-parted fringe that framed his face. His consisted of dark red traditional armor – similar to that of samurai – worn over a simple black suit. This armor was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body, in particular: chest, shoulders, thighs and forearms. The last things that were noticeable were the headband of Konoha on his forehead and the necklace that Naruto remembered was given to him by Tsunade.

"H-Hashirama-sama?!" cried Naruto while pointing a finger at the man.

The man merely chuckled and led the shocked blonde inside of his home and to a wooden table. As they sat down, he gave the Uzumaki a prideful look. _"It's good to see you once again, my boy. You've certainly grown over the years; both physically and spiritually I should add."_

"How is this possible?" asked Naruto in a whispery tone.

_"Truthfully; I do not know. All I do know is that when my spirit was released from the __**Edo Tensei **_(Impure World Resurrection)_, my soul was taken into the swirling vortex of light and I saw my body change into that of a sword alongside a silver-haired woman dressed in clothing fit for a forest spirit. I felt myself grow tired during my journey and I slept; for quite some time if your obvious growth is anything to go by."_

"You must have been asleep for over 30 years," Naruto stated, remembering the total of his Academy years and his time under Unohana. "So…you're my second Zanpakuto Spirit?"

The Shodaime nodded with a warm smile. _"Indeed I am, and I couldn't have asked for a better partner than you; the one who's Will of Fire burns stronger than anyone I have ever known."_ He chuckled when the blonde rubbed his head bashfully. _"It really is good to see you again, and on better terms."_

"You too, Shodaime-sama."

_"Now, no need for that, son,"_ he admonished with a smile. _"We're partners, so there is no better or lesser between us. Speaking of partners, where is the other spirit of your sword?"_

_"Right here,"_ she stated as she was seen leaning against the doorway. _"Glad to see you awake now, my brother."_

_"Glad to finally be awake,"_ replied the man before he turned back to Naruto. _"Now, seeing as how both of us are fully awake and aware, it is time that we started working on you unlocking our Shikai."_

The whiskered blonde nodded with an eager grin on his face, making both of the spirits chuckle before he was led outside to get started.

[Five Months Later]

"As of this moment, you three are to be sent to the Human World to do routine Hollow Extermination," Yamamoto ordered to the three Shinigami in front of him.

The first had red hair in a high ponytail that fanned out, markings where his eyebrows should've been, and an eager grin on his face. Next to him was a bald man with markings at the corners of his eyes and his sword resting in its sheathe on his shoulder. The last was a petite woman with black hair and violet eyes with a professional look on her face.

"Abarai Renji, Madarame Ikkaku, Kuchiki Rukia…do you accept the mission assigned to you?"

"Hai, Sotaicho-sama!" they replied in synch.

"Ara, Sotaicho-sama?" Unohana began.

"Yes, Unohana-Taicho?" he responded.

"I think it would be best if we sent a medic alongside them. My Fifth Seat, Uzumaki-kun, has proposed quite the idea for better mission results."

"He has, has he?" asked Kyoraku with a smile. "The boy sure has grown over the years under your care, Retsu."

She smiled with pride as she responded, "Indeed he has. He's proven to be quite the able pupil under my supervision. His control has reached that of a Third Seat and it's still getting better, and his lessons in healing are going very well."

"We're getting off track," Kuchiki Byakuya, Captain of the 6th Division, stated. "What was his proposal, Unohana-Taicho?"

"Uzumaki-kun has proposed that a field medic accompany Shinigami being sent on Hollow Exterminating due to the fact that it would help reduce the chances of Shinigami returning with wounds or not returning at all."

"What about the issue of having to look out for the medic while fighting off Hollows?" challenged Ichimaru Gin, the 3rd Division Captain.

"Uzumaki-kun is willing to take time to train my Division Members in some self defense and basic combat so that they're not defenseless out in the field. He's also willing to be the one to test this idea so that we can see its effectiveness."

Yamamoto nodded, seeing the pros of the idea. "Very well then; Uzumaki will accompany Abarai, Madarame, and Kuchiki to the Human World. He is responsible for their wellbeing and in making sure they return alive."

Unohana bowed and stated, "I'll inform him of his new assignment straight away, Sotaicho-sama."

After informing Naruto, he was seen standing where the senkaimon was to be opened, waiting patiently for the rest of his associates to arrive. He looked up to the slightly cloudy sky and smiled at the beautiful weather.

"Meow…"

His smile brightened into a grin as he looked down and saw Kuro rubbing against his leg, per the usual greeting from her over the years. He picked her up and began stroking her fur as he greeted, "Hey there, Kuro-chan. Where've you been, huh?"

She just purred in his arms, loving the way his fingers brushed her fur and found all of her sweet spots.

"You have a cat?" asked Ikkaku as he walked up to where Naruto stood.

"Well, she visits me from time to time, but she isn't mine. She's good company though."

"If you say so, Uzumaki."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Renji queried as he arrived with Rukia.

"Not much," Naruto answered casually as he let Kuro run off. "I'm just saying goodbye to a frequent visitor of mine."

"Right… Well, we all know why we're here. I'm assuming command since I am the highest rank out of all of us. Are we clear?" When they nodded, he opened the senkaimon and stepped through, followed by the others. Unknown to them, Kuro snuck in after them.

Once the other end opened up, the four Shinigami arrived above a large city, shocking the healer of the group.

"What's this? Where are the Elemental Nations?" he asked in surprise.

"Don't you know anything?" asked Ikkaku in an annoyed manner. "The place _you_ are from is hidden from the rest of the world. Think of it as your home being untouchable by both the Seireitei and Hollows due to a natural repellent."

The blonde nodded slowly, though it was still a shock seeing such an advanced place compared to his old home. "Now then," Renji began, "we'll start by finding a place to set up a base. We'll be here for a timetable of one week, so we need a place to return to."

He led them throughout the city in search of a place big enough to house them as well as hidden enough to avoid public eye. They succeeded in their endeavor when they found an abandoned plane hangar.

"This place will do fine," commented the appointed leader before he turned to the others. "Now, I'll take the first night, but I still want you all to be prepared for anything." After receiving confirmation from them, he left in a **Shunpo **(Flash Step) while the others made the place a little more hospitable.

"Alright, if you need me I'll be looking for a dojo to unwind a little," Ikkaku stated before he took out a gigai (Faux Body) and entering it. When he was in, he looked like a regular human wearing a red long sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. In his hand was a bokken which was no doubt what he planned to use at the dojo he planned to find.

Naruto sighed as he looked over notes that Sui-Feng had given him on pressure points in the body. It was helpful in both a combat matter and a medical matter since it would show him which spots to hit against a foe or a struggling patient. Rukia merely sat and made some tea to drink.

The awkward tension in the air was palpable. Rukia didn't know how to talk to this guy while Naruto was apprehensive to talk to the one accused of killing Shiba Kaien. Finally having enough, he mumbled something about getting some air and made his way out of the hangar.

Using his own gigai, he was now seen wearing a white shirt, black jacket, dark jeans, white shoes, and a gray scarf that draped over his shoulders while his hair swayed behind his back. "Time to hit the town, I suppose."

Around an hour later, Naruto was smiling as he watched some street performers dazzle the observing crowds with physical feats that, while easy for a shinobi like him, amazed the spectators. Flips, handstands, and even upright pushups were displayed for their amusement and they received some money for their feats.

He chuckled and left with his hands in his coat pocket as he took in the sights. Absently, he took note of the reiatsu signatures of Renji, Ikkaku, and Rukia as he walked so that he knew their positions.

Suddenly, an unknown source entered his senses and he tensed slightly while his own reiatsu sought it out. When it got a beat on the location, he ducked into an alleyway and used a gikongan (Artificial Soul Pill) to exit his gigai. "Head back to the hangar, but don't draw attention."

"Right," the gikongan replied before it left and Naruto headed toward the source. The location kept heading further away from the city and he began to suspect a trap, which made him grip the handle of the sword strapped to his back just in case.

When he arrived to where the signature was, he was around a mile away from the city and in a forest clearing. "Alright, you have me all alone," he called out. "Now come out and let me see exactly what you are."

"…As you wish," replied a female voice, making Naruto turn to the source.

His eye widened at the sight of what appeared to be a humanoid soul. Her skin was dark while her hair was a bright blonde. The hair was short save for a few braids and her eyelashes were revealed to be the same color. She wore a white top that covered the entirety of her lower face and left her bare from the lowest part of her breasts to her waist. The sleeves of her top extended to her wrists before they shifted into black gloves that covered her hands. Strapped horizontally to her back was a sword with a larger than normal handle. Her pants looked to be that of a Shinigami's, but they were white while her socks were black and her sandals were white.

The faintest of blushes was seen on his face, and that was the best he could keep it to through sheer willpower. The person in front of him was stunning, but he frowned when he felt both Shinigami and Hollow reiatsu coming from her. He tensed when he saw her green eyes dart to his sword which still had the handle in his grip. He gave a quick glance to his hand before he slowly released the sword's handle and raised his hands in a placating manner.

"I don't want any trouble," he stated in a calm voice. "I was just chasing a strange reiatsu signature during my walk through the city."

"What do you mean 'strange', Shinigami?" she asked as she folded her arms beneath her chest, involuntarily making her breasts perk up.

"I mean that I have never sensed anything like it before," answered the Uzumaki while keeping his eyes focused on hers. He repeated a constant mantra of him not being a pervert in his head as he talked to her. "Your reiatsu… It has both Hollow and Shinigami energies mixed within it; though the Hollow half seems more pronounced."

"I'm well aware of my energy," she responded in a calm tone. "I know what it consists of."

"I have no doubt about that, but it merely caught me off guard. If my words offended you, then I'm sorry."

She looked him dead in the eye for what seemed like forever, before he own eyes softened slightly. While surprised, he was unable to comment on it when she said, "You have no reason to apologize. I'm curious as to what a Shinigami is doing here."

"I'm afraid I can't say," he answered. "My reason for being here is my own."

"As is mine," she responded in kind, making him smirk slightly.

"Of course it is," he commented before he took a seat on a nearby stone. "Can I at least get a name?"

"I've come to understand that it is polite to give _your_ name before asking another for theirs."

He chuckled and replied, "True… In that case, my name is Uzumaki Naruto.

"Tier Harribel…"

"A pleasure to meet you, Harribel-san. Now, I believe I should be going."

She raised a brow as he stood up and dusted off his pants. "You won't attack?"

"What point would I make if I did so? It's obvious to me that you're not only able to defeat me, but you can do so very easily based on the amount of reiatsu your keeping reigned in. Besides, you're obviously much _more_ than a simple Hollow seeing as you have an intelligent mind and can speak civilly."

She was slightly surprised at his deduction and was even more when he gave her a polite bow.

"Until next time, Harribel-san. Perhaps we can meet again some time."

She gave him a small, barely noticeable, nod and he smiled kindly to her before he left in a **Shunpo**. Once alone, Harribel murmured to herself, "Peculiar… His reiatsu was nearly as much as my own, yet he still held back more. Uzumaki Naruto…you are an enigma I plan to unravel the secrets of."

[Night of the 6th Day]

Once again, Naruto was seen strolling through the bustling streets of Karakura Town as he had come to identify it as. His routine was thusly: wake up, meditate, exercise, get breakfast, take in the sights, get ramen for lunch, take in _more_ sights, have ramen for dinner, and then patrol before getting some rest.

He had met Harribel once again two nights ago and the two just sat quietly while observing the city from the highest rooftop. That night had also brought forth a C-Class Hollow, which resulted in him having to leave to make sure the others didn't hurt themselves in the fight. Naruto was surprised at how little she seemed to care for the Hollow. Her words were:

"That Hollow is only a beast; acting on instinct and hunger. I see no reason to mourn its demise."

While this helped prove that she was with the Hollows in a way, Naruto still didn't try to attack her. Her aura was so similar to his that he couldn't bring himself to do it.

It was now the final night of his assignment, and he was once again making his way to the highest rooftop. He had told her that he was only staying for a week, and she requested to see him on his last night. Curious as to what she wished to see him for, he agreed and was now on his way to see her.

Once he made it to the top, he saw her seated on the ledge of the roof with her legs dangling over the edge. She barely looked over her shoulder before she nodded to him in greeting. "Uzumaki-san…"

"Harribel-san," he returned. "It's nice to see you again."

She nodded again before she turned her gaze down to the city. He took a seat next to her, and she asked, "Tell me; what do you see when you look down at the humans beneath us?"

He turned his gaze downward and frowned in thought. "I see…innocent people who have no idea how close to death they are every day of their lives. I see people who need to be protected; who need their innocence protected for as long as possible."

"That is not what I see," she admitted.

"Then what _do_ you see?"

"…I see souls who don masks of naïveté and innocence when they are in actuality crueler than even some Hollows. While Hollows attack them for their souls, humans are still cruel enough to betray others just to live another day. No one I have witnessed is self sacrificing."

"Hmm…"

"You think otherwise?" she asked while looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"No… I can honestly see truth in your words. However, I can also see that not _all_ souls are as you say. Some are willing to sacrifice for others; to put others before themselves." His eyes turned somber as he finished, "I know because I'm the same."

She turned her head to fully face him while looking into his lowered eyes. "You know what it's like to lose; to sacrifice." It wasn't a question.

"Hai… I do," he muttered. "I've lost so much in my life and gave up so much for the sakes of the ones I cherished. In the end, I even gave up my life for them to live in a hopefully brighter future." His gaze turned to the moon which was halfway full that night. "I wonder if they're still alive today…"

Her gaze matched his and she frowned before she looked back at him. "You…confuse me, Uzumaki-san. You speak with such pain, yet I see you smile and try to live to the fullest. Why continue after all you've lost?"

"Because if I don't," he began before he chuckled and turned to her, "then what purpose do I have? I live for them, even though I have already died for them. I keep moving forward to honor those who have sacrificed for my sake and to keep the memory of those that _I_ sacrificed for alive."

"But why choose to remember such pain?"

"It may hurt to remember them, but it just shows that I'm not a monster who forsakes those who chose to support him. I remember them because, in the end, memories are the only thing that connect us to our loved ones."

She kept her gaze on his, staring deeply into his blue eyes. She saw such depth in them; such pain that was being held back by hope. It surprised her that someone was strong enough to live through such pain, but here Naruto was; pressing on while loss and pain weighed down his heart and soul.

Her gaze tore from his and turned back to the moon. She couldn't keep looking into his eyes anymore. The pain was enough to make her remember her own, and she didn't want to do so; not yet at least.

"…Uzumaki-san," she began.

"Yes?"

"…Thank you for telling me this; for sharing your thoughts on this matter with me."

He smiled and replied, "No problem, Harribel-chan."

Despite herself, she smiled beneath her Hollow Mask at his affectionate suffix for her while her cheeks warmed slightly. "It will be some time before we can speak again…but I'll look forward to it when the time does come."

"I will too," he agreed before he stood to his feet followed by her. He then surprised her by grabbing her wrist and bringing up her left hand to kiss it. "Until next time, Harribel-chan," he bid in farewell before he left in a blur.

Her gaze stayed on where he kissed her, just staring in surprise at what he did. Slowly, a smile formed and she whispered, "Until next time…Naruto."

[The Next Day (Captains' Chambers)]

"All in all, the Hollow Extermination went on with only a small issue of a C-Class Hollow," Renji stated as he finished his report.

"Uzumaki, any injuries that were in need of being looked over?" asked the Head Captain.

"Hai, but they were not life threatening. Abarai-san received some claw wounds on his side that I healed up without trouble, Madarame-san was stabbed in his left leg by a Hollow, but again it was not too severe to handle. And Kuchiki was able to get though unscathed. If my opinion is allowed," he began, resulting in Yamamoto nodding that it was allowed, "then I'd say that if I was not there, the wounds would have been treated in a lesser manner and could've resulted in hampering their success rate later on in the week."

The Head Captain nodded again. "Very good, Uzumaki," he stated while Unohana gave him a prideful smile, which he returned. "You're all dismissed except for Uzumaki."

When the other three left, Naruto asked, "Is there a problem, Sotaicho-sama?"

"No, I am merely having you stay to inform you that your proposition will be put through, Uzumaki. You are to take the role of Self Defense and Basic Combat Instructor for the other members of your Division." Naruto nodded in understanding, prompting the Sotaicho to continue, "Now, I believe Unohana-Taicho has some other news for you."

When his Captain stepped forward, he bowed to her. Unohana had earned the greatest respect from him in his eyes. She believed in him, helped him learn to control his reiatsu, and even taught him how to save lives instead of take them. She was truly the best Captain he could've ever asked for and he had promised to follow her to the end long ago.

"Uzumaki-kun, it is with great pride that I promote you to the rank of Third Seat," she declared with a smile, making Naruto gape in surprise. "I look forward to seeing how far you take our Division with your instruction."

When he got over his surprise, he bowed again and replied, "I won't let you down, Unohana-Taicho."

She smiled and responded, "I have no doubt about that."

[10 Years Later (Canon)]

"Alright, that's enough for today. You're all performing very well!" Naruto declared while the 4th Division Members he was instructing bowed to him respectfully with smiles on their faces.

The last decade had proven to be very beneficial for the 4th Division. With Naruto teaching basic combat and self defense to the others, they were able to accompany other Shinigami on Hollow Extermination missions and, not only be a major asset, but survive and bring mission success rates up exponentially.

As for Naruto, he had made a name for himself among the Division as the "Sentinel". He was a protector, a healer, and a friend to all which resulted in many of the female members seeing him in a romantic light. However, they backed off due to the fact that he was rumored to be dating Shiba Kukaku.

This rumor was actually true. During the years, Naruto had made frequent visits to the Shiba House and grew closer to the female Clan Head. It started off as close friends who joked around and even developed hilarious methods of pranking people together. Naruto definitely put Kukaku's fireworks to good use and, not only pranked people severely, but also endorsed her fireworks and gave her some form of revenue.

As they grew closer, they started seeing each other in a way much more than simple friends. It was Kukaku who made the first move seven years ago.

[Flashback: 7yrs Ago]

Naruto once again was at the Shiba House for dinner at Kukaku's request. It wasn't uncommon for him to eat alone with her since Ganju kept a wide berth from him and the guards were still terrified of the "Fox Grin of Terror".

"Thanks again for the meal, Kukaku-chan," thanked the Uzumaki as he wiped his face with a napkin. "It was delicious."

"Thanks, Blondie," she replied with a grin as she picked her teeth with a toothpick. "Nothing like a good meal with some good company, huh?"

He chuckled and answered, "No there isn't."

They both started laughing at that before they made their way to the roof to light off a few prototypes Kukaku had made. It was the usual whenever he stayed for dinner. Some of the fireworks were amazing successes while others didn't light off right and were marked as failures.

When they finished and Naruto bid her goodnight, she surprised him by getting close to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her green eyes looked up into his blue ones and he blushed at the light in hers caused by the moonlight.

"Uh, Kukaku-?"

That was as far as he got before she leaned up and pressed her lips softly against his. While shocked at first, his eyes slowly became lidded and he kissed back while wrapping his arms around her waist. They kept this up for an unknown amount of time before they pulled back with flushed faces and pounding hearts. She then leaned her head against his chest and whispered, "I love you…"

His eyes widened in surprise and he looked down at her. Only three people had ever said that to him; Hinata when he was battling Pein, Sakura when she tried to stop him from killing Sasuke, and his mother when he complimented her hair and when she faded from his seal. Out of the three, only one stuck to him and it was his mother's. After that, he wished and dreamed of someone saying that to him in the form of a lover instead of family.

Now, he finally got that and it made his heart swell. He raised her chin to have her look at him and kissed her again before he replied, "I love you too…"

[Present]

Now, he and Kukaku had been together for seven years and he was happier than he had felt in a long time.

Another thing he did was take assignments to Karakura so that he could visit Harribel. She had begun to open up to him more and more each time and he figured that soon she would trust him enough to tell him what has caused her the same kind of pain he feels. He was patient and he knew that he could trust her; so, he would wait.

"Uzumaki-sempai!" called a member of the Division by the name of Hanataro. When he reached the blonde, he was panting and handed him a paper telling him that he was to receive an assignment from the Head Captain.

He was quick to arrive and was slightly surprised to see Rukia there as well. When they bowed, Yamamoto began, "I have an assignment for you both; three months long. Karakura has been reported to have had an increase in Hollow activity. Seeing as how you have more than enough experience in this type of mission, I've assigned it to you Kuchiki." She nodded and he continued, "Uzumaki, you are going with her because you're the more experienced medic _and_ combatant of your Division. It's because of those reasons that you are to assist her, but she has command of the mission. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," saluted the blonde Third Seat.

"Very well then; you both have your orders."

They bowed and set off to the senkaimon. Once there, Naruto was surprised to see Byakuya there. He was pulled aside by the Captain and he said, "I trust that she will be safe with you assisting her, Uzumaki?"

"Yes Taicho, she will. I will be sure to look after her to the best of my ability."

The stoic Captain nodded and left in a blur while Naruto stood next to Rukia. He turned to her and grinned. "Ready for this, Kuchiki?"

The last thing that Naruto had done over the years was make friends with Renji, Ikkaku, and Rukia. Renji and Ikkaku saw him as a rival and a wall to climb due to his victories against them in spars. Rukia, after apologizing to the Shiba at his urging, saw Naruto as a close friend and someone she could trust with her life.

She smirked back at him and retorted, "The question is…are you, Uzumaki?"

Without giving him a chance to respond she stepped inside while Naruto shook his head with a grin. "Of course I am," he declared before he followed her inside. He never knew that the mission would change everything.

(End Chapter)

And there's chapter three for you all! I hope this chapter was enjoyable for you guys and gals out there!

Now, as a reminder, I have a poll up that will quickly be followed by another when the votes are high enough. So please keep checking up on it and vote!

Next Time: Meeting the Strawberry! Stay Tuned!

pain17ification


	4. Chapter 4: Being Human Pt 1

Hello FanFiction! This is pain17ification continuing Seitoshi!

Please note: pain17ification doesn't own anything except for the story idea

"Speech"

_"Zanpakuto"_

_'Thoughts'_

**"Hollowfied/Techniques"**

[Scene Shift]

Chapter 4: Being Human Pt. 1

"So, what's the plan _senpai_?" asked Naruto with a teasing grin, making Rukia's eye twitch.

"You're enjoying this too much, you know that?" she retorted.

"Why, whatever could you mean _senpai_?"

_'Damn that stupid grin of his!'_ Rukia raged mentally. "Look, let's just see if that old hangar we used before is available."

Naruto playfully saluted, making her punch him in the shoulder in frustration. Though, her frustration grew when she felt her hand ache and saw he gave no sign of discomfort.

It took some time, but they soon reached the hangar and looked inside. They were surprised that it was exactly the same as when they left it the last time they were here. "This will serve as our shelter again until the mission is over. Now, let's split up and see how the city is fairing so far. We'll meet at the highest building top in two hours."

"Right," Naruto agreed before he vanished in a **Shunpo** followed by Rukia. When he reappeared, he was standing atop one of the city bridges with a calm smile on his face. He took a deep inhale of the air above the city before he exhaled and looked down at the bustling streets. "It's good to be back," he murmured before he jumped down from his perch.

He fell at least a hundred feet to the road below and landed softly, showing no signs of the area being disturbed to the passerby people. He weaved his way through them before he felt eyes on him. He gazed over his shoulder and saw a teen dressed in clothing fir for school. He had black hair and blue eyes behind glasses and he was staring intently at the blonde Shinigami.

Naruto's eyes narrowed and he slowly turned back to the direction he was walking and resumed his trek. _'Strange… His reiatsu is different than anything else I've felt. Maybe Rukia will know something.'_

He decided not to dwell on it for too long and left in another **Shunpo**, reappearing in the center of the city just in time to feel a decent amount of reiatsu. His blue eyes scanned the area before they fell on a teen with orange hair and brown eyes. He wore a simple pair of jeans, white shoes, a dark blue shirt, and a black jacket. His hands were in his pockets as he walked through the streets, almost as if it was the most boring thing in the word to him.

_'Probably is,'_ Naruto mentally noted. _'Still, this kid has quite the level of spiritual energy. He'll be a beacon for Hollows for sure.'_

He absently rubbed the seal that was placed over his heart that was styled into that of a lotus flower. While not a Lieutenant or a Captain, Naruto's reiatsu was still high enough to warrant the use of the Restrictor Seal. As of this moment, his power was reduced from above Captain Level to that of a 7th Seat Officer. While this allowed him to accompany other Shinigami on missions, the biggest downside was that he was cut off from hearing his own Zanpakuto Spirits.

_'Damn this thing… I swear it's the itchiest thing I've ever felt on my person,'_ complained the Uzumaki before he stiffened at the feeling of a Hollow in the area. He absently noted that the teen stopped his walking and looked around as well.

Both pairs of eyes fell on a large Hollow using the walls of the surrounding buildings to move quickly through the city. Naruto quickly noticed that the teen was the target…along with the soul of the young girl that was running away from the Hollow as if Hell was after her.

"Damn it," he cursed before he **Shunpo**'d in front of the Hollow, cutting off its charge, and punched it directly in its masked face. "Back off, asshole!" he roared as his fist cracked into the mask and pushed the Hollow back into the streets below. The young soul stopped running and looked to him in awe while he gave her a sideways look and smiled. "Don't worry; I'll take care of this."

With that, he **Shunpo**'d above the Hollow and landed directly on its chest with his right palm raised. Reiatsu began to swirl into his hand, bathing his form in a bright blue glow before it formed into a sphere of swirling energy.

"May your tainted soul be purified; **Rasengan**!" he roared before he slammed the technique into the mask, destroying it easily before the Hollow disappeared into flakes of spiritual energy and faded away.

The blonde sighed before he lifted up his left hand and a ninjato appeared in a flash of green light. He unsheathed it before he slowly walked over to the soul, who froze in fear of the weapon. He bent down to her level and gave her a warm smile, easing her fears slightly.

"I suppose I shouldn't sugarcoat things here, so let me tell you what's going to happen. Right now, your soul is stuck here until that little chain of yours," he pointed to her broken chain, "fully disappears or a Shinigami, like me, sends your soul to the Seireitei. Don't worry; it won't hurt at all, I promise. All I do is gently tap your forehead with the bottom of my sword, and then you'll be on your way."

She looked scared and asked, "But, why do I have to go?"

His smile turned sad as he answered, "Because if you don't, then your chain will disappear and you'll turn into something like that monster I just beat. Then you'll start hurting people and you won't be able to control yourself."

Her eyes widened in shock and she trembled at the thought of that happening before she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked directly into his crystal blue eyes, and she knew that she'd be safe with the blonde. Nodding, she declared, "I'm ready."

"Good… Now, what's your name? I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"…Kiara; Tsuki Kiara," she answered.

The blonde smiled at her and gently tapped her head with the pommel of his sword, placing the kanji for "pass" on her. The kanji lit up a bright blue and covered her form in its glow while he said, "I promise to see you again, Kiara-chan."

She smiled and hugged him as she kept fading away. "I'll be waiting…nii-san," she stated before she fully disappeared.

Naruto kept his smile as he stood up with his back to the orangette teen. "What you witnessed was called a Konso, or Soul Burial. It's a job that Shinigami are assigned during their missions to the Human World. The sad thing is, we only perform about 34% of successful Konso in this city while the other 66% are either eaten by Hollows, like the one I just killed…or turn into Hollows themselves." He then turned to face the teen fully, getting his full attention. "You have a gift of being able to see the dead. This means that, while indirect, you are engulfed in our world. I'm not saying this to scare you or anger you; I'm saying this to warn you. Keep your eyes open, your senses sharp, and your soul guarded."

He then left in another **Shunpo**, leaving the teen staring at where he once stood in contemplative silence.

[That Night]

Naruto sighed as he sat on the roof of a random office building, staring at the full moon. His eyes glistened in its light and he sighed again as he commented, "I wonder where Harribel-chan is… She's usually here in the city whenever I'm sent here."

"Perhaps you should be more aware of your surrounding then," stated a soft voice in a slightly teasing tone, making him turn and see the woman he was talking about standing behind him. "I've been here for about five minutes, Naruto."

He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed his head with an awkward smile. "I suppose I _could_ work on my reiatsu sensory." He then gave her a kind smile and added, "It's good to see you again, Harribel-chan."

Hidden from him due to her mask, she smiled at the affectionate name. "I feel the same. I have…missed your company." She took a seat next to him, but frowned slightly at the feeling of his energy being locked away. "You've restricted yourself…"

"I have to… I may have much better control than I did before, but it's not enough to keep my signature below that of a 3rd Seat; and that's when I'm concentrating."

Her frown deepened, and he took notice of it. "Why do you hide yourself, Naruto? Are you afraid of people seeing who you are?"

"No, I'm afraid of my power inadvertently harming people… It's happened before, and I'm still unable to forgive myself for it. My own teammate was harmed by my power due to my lack of control when I was alive… Seeing that I caused her pain hurt more than any blow an enemy gave to me."

Her frown softened into a look of understanding and she unconsciously grabbed his hand. "…I'm sorry if my words caused any bad memories to form in your mind. I did not know how this affected you."

While initially surprised that she tried to comfort him, he smiled and squeezed her hand gently, making her have a hidden blush at the warmth she felt. "Don't worry about it… You didn't know, so I can't get mad at you."

She nodded and removed her hand from his, but her mind betrayed her by telling her that the warmth felt comforting and safe. "What brings you to Karakura this time, Naruto?" she asked in an attempt to get her kind off of his warm aura.

"The same as always; Hollow Hunting, Konso, and keeping an eye on the city," he answered with a bored sigh. "Just another day in paradise," he added playfully before he turned to her. "What about you?"

"I'm afraid I can't say," she answered, though he heard some slight regret in her tone. "While you are undoubtedly much better company than any other Shinigami I would ever come across, we're still enemies in the eyes of our superiors."

"Do we have to be?" he asked suddenly, making her look at him. "Do we have to be enemies just because the people in charge say so? Because…I can't see you as my enemy. You can't be my enemy, Harribel-chan and I refuse to see you in that light."

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sincerity in his tone and the depression in his eyes. Like many times before, she found herself getting lost in them, and she couldn't stop herself from unconsciously leaning toward him. Her mind finally caught up to her actions when she was inches from his face, and she made to pull back.

…However, his hand placing itself on her clothed and masked cheek stopped her. "Don't…" he whispered as his hand felt her mask underneath her collar.

Warmth spread into her, and she unconsciously leaned into his touch before her eyes met his again. Within her teal orbs, he saw sadness, regret…and wanting. "Please…" she whispered softly, almost inaudible to him.

He gently lowered her collar and revealed her masked face to his blue eyes. His hand resumed its place on her cheek while she tore her gaze from his. She didn't want to see the fear or disgust in his eyes at her visage. But suddenly, she felt his reiatsu slowly flow into her mask and, to her shock, it slowly shrank and moved down to her neck, revealing her face fully to him. It was heart shaped with blue lightning marks on her cheeks, soft lips, and not a blemish to be seen.

"Beautiful," he whispered in awe, making her blush at his words before she met his gaze. He leaned into her, and she responded in kind before their lips were just millimeters apart.

Her breath hitting his lips, she whispered again, "Please…" before they finally connected in a soft kiss. She felt sparks on her lips as he kissed her, making her lean into the kiss more in hopes of feeling it longer. Her arms slowly wrapped around his neck to pull him closer while his arms did the same to her waist.

It felt like a lifetime before they finally separated with flushed faces. They were panting from the lack of oxygen while Naruto gently placed a hand to her cheek. "I can't see you as an enemy…because I see you as something much better."

She smiled softly at his words and grabbed his hand while leaning into its touch. "I feel the same," she replied softly. "I…I think I might…" She stopped short when Naruto captured her lips again.

When he pulled back, he smiled and stated, "I think I might as well, Harribel-chan."

Suddenly, they both felt reiatsu surge from one of the residential areas of the city. Naruto turned to her and she just gave him a soft smile. "Go… Do your duty," she declared before she added, "Just come back when you can."

He nodded and kissed the top of her hand and left in a blur of speed, leaving her to stare at where he was heading while her mask reformed over her worried face.

[Kurosaki Residence]

"You want me?! Come and get me; I'm right here!" yelled Kurosaki Ichigo, the orangette teen that witnessed Naruto fight a Hollow earlier in the city. He was putting his life on the line to protect his sister, Karin, who was in the grasp of the tainted soul.

His other sister, Yuzu, and his father, Ishin, were unconscious and Rukia was trying to get him out of the way so that she could fight. The Hollow gave a hard swing at them both and smacked Ichigo into the fence between the back alleyways of the neighborhood. The Kuchiki looked to him in concern, missing the Hollow move with its swing and bring its tail around to strike her. The blow struck and sent her crashing through a couple of buildings, leaving her in a pained daze.

The Hollow ignored her vulnerable form for that of Ichigo and began to slowly stalk forward. The teen struggled to stand and froze in shock as the Hollow shot its head forward to take a bite.

***SQUELCH!***

…Only he felt no pain. He opened his eyes – that had closed in his fear – and he gasped at the sight of Naruto standing with his back to the Hollow…and its teeth buried into his body in various spots.

He coughed up some blood and gave the teen a tired look. "D-Damn it, kid… I thought I warned you about this…"

The Hollow used its teeth to grip the blonde before it flung him aside, and Ichigo quickly found the strength to run to his side. "Hey! C'mon, you can't die!"

"Damn that stings…" groaned the Uzumaki before his pained gaze fell on the slowly approaching Hollow. "Listen kid… I'm in no position to fight that Hollow and Rukia won't regain focus in time before it eats you all."

"So, what do we do?" frantically asked the orangette.

"I can only think of one way, though I'm honestly not sure what'll happen," answered the blonde before he raised his sword with the tip facing Ichigo. "You have to become a Shinigami… Take my sword, drive it through your heart, and I'll send my reiatsu into you. You have to do it _now_!"

Ichigo, desperate to save his family, nodded immediately and readied the blade. "I already heard you say your name earlier, so I'll tell you mine. I'm Kurosaki…Ichigo!" he cried before he stabbed the blade into his body and Naruto surged his power into him.

In a flash of light, Ichigo stood before the Hollow with a massive sword that looked like a zanbato sized katana while his form was clothed in basic Shinigami attire. As for Naruto; he stood in a gray kimono with an Asauchi (Shallow Hilt) was strapped to his waist. His eyes widened in shock at the power coming from Ichigo and he thought, _'What the hell?! I only meant to give him about a quarter, but he took nearly two thirds! At least I was able to stop it before he took any more, but it'll be a while before I could regain my full strength.'_

"You bastard," Ichigo whispered angrily to the Hollow. "You think you can just come here and nearly kill my family!" He didn't allow the Hollow to react before he was suddenly in its guard and sliced it from the chest through the mask, killing it in one swing.

When the Hollow was killed, the orangette Substitute collapsed unconscious. Naruto sighed and knelt down to take his pulse. "Looks like he just ran out of adrenaline… This whole mission just took a seriously fucked up turn," he muttered before he looked to where he knew Harribel was. He pulsed what little reiatsu he could safely spare toward her direction, and he felt her return it. He smiled at that before he got to work fixing the damage and healing the others. "I suppose there is a slight upside," he commented. "This decrease in power makes controlling my healing much easier."

[Next Day (School)]

Ichigo scowled in thought as he tried to figure out if last night's events were real or just a dream. It felt so real, but everyone else was saying that it was just a truck that crashed into his house. But that couldn't be right… He saw that Hollow and he felt Naruto give him power.

_'But, why does everyone else think otherwise?'_

The teacher clearing her throat got him to refocus on the classroom. "Now before we begin, there are two new additions to this school; a student that will be a part of this class and a new school doctor. They will be here in just a sec, so please treat them well."

A knock was heard on the classroom door and two people stepped inside, making Ichigo's eyes widen in shock. Standing in front of the class were the two Shinigami from the night before; only Rukia was dressed in school clothes while Naruto was dressed in black shoes, brown pants, a dark orange shirt, and a white doctor coat. (1)

Rukia bowed demurely and spoke in an overly polite voice, "Hello, I'm Kuchiki Rukia. Please take care of me."

Naruto merely gave a lazy wave while his eyes crinkled with his grin, making a few of the female students blush. "Yo, the name's Uzumaki Naruto! I'll be your new school doctor for the time being, but I'm also free if you just want to talk!"

All Ichigo could think about this situation was:

_'What…the…HELL?!'_

(End Chapter)

1~ Please someone draw this for me and I'll give them a cookie! (Also Known As: A Spoiler!)

And there's chapter four for you all! Shorter than normal chapters, I know, but I still hope this chapter was enjoyable for you guys and gals out there!

I also hope you all enjoyed the NaruTier moment I put in this chapter!

Next Time: Part 2! Stay Tuned!

pain17ification


End file.
